Bryn Euryn – a walk of several parts. Part 1

03 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by theresagreen in bird's nests, Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, woodland birds

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Aegithalos caudatus, ash tree keys, bird's nests, Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, cuckoo flower, lady's smock, long-tailed tit, long-tailed tit's nest

We had one day of decent weather last week and I grabbed the opportunity to walk up to and around ‘the Bryn‘. I hadn’t been there for ages and I knew if I didn’t get there soon I would miss the Early Purple Orchids and Cowslips that grace this special place at this time of the year. It was sunny but a north wind kept the ambient air temperature cool to outright chilly in the open, but in more sheltered spots it was pleasant and almost felt spring-like. The open grassy meadow area in front of the car park was just such a spot today and there were actually butterflies to watch, all whites, definitely some small and some green-veined whites, but as there was also a solitary male orange-tip making territorial laps at speed, it is possible there were females of that species too, they don’t have the distinctive orange wing tips so are harder to identify in flight.

Bunches of ‘keys’ are already forming on this tree and the leaves are well grown

I hoped the Orange Tip would stop long enough to have his picture taken, so whilst waiting for him to come back to this part of his circuit, which he did several times, I wandered along the field edge to see what progress the plants were making. There are many Ash trees in the woodland of this site and it is interesting to note the difference in the rate of growth of new foliage on trees which can vary significantly, even on trees that are quite close together. I am paying more attention to Ash trees now, knowing that they are under threat from the killer fungus chalara fraxinea, appreciating their beauty while I still have the chance while dreading that they may be stricken with it.

This link shows the signs of the disease to look out for: http://visitwoods.org.uk/en/visit-woods/for-nature/Documents/symptoms-chalara-dieback-ash.pdf

White-flowered Valerian

The vegetation along the field edge is already tall, with much on the point of flowering, although there was little of interest to waylay the speeding Orange Tip. He was almost tempted by what I think was a white flowered Valerian, settling on it for a few seconds only before spotting a Small White in his airspace and rocketing after it. I felt sure he’d stop to rest or feed eventually, watching and waiting for quite a while hoping for a photo opportunity, but he was clearly on duty and intent on seeing off all interlopers. I hadn’t realised how territorial and feisty this species was until now. I got tired way before he did, but thought it worth looking for some Lady’s Smock flowers, a foodplant of the species’ larva and one of the few flowers the adults do sometimes pause to take nectar from. I did find some, but only a couple of stems of flowers and no sign of the butterfly anywhere near.

Lady’s Smock, Cuckoo Flower-Cardamine pratensis

As I bent down to get an image of the flower I caught a glimpse of a bird passing me by very closely and stood up to see a lovely Long-tailed Tit at just about my eye-level (not very high then), perched on a dried stem about 2 metres or less in front of me and with its beak full of small flies.

A Long-tailed Tit with her beak full of small flies

To be honest, the encounter took me so much by surprise that it took a moment for it to register that it was indeed Long-tailed Tit, let alone for it to occur to me that the poor bird was agitated by my presence because the flies were intended to be fed her nestlings. I stood still and she flitted over to the cover of a nearby small tree, then after a moment or two began to make her way to the back of the wire fence, then through a tangle of brambles to the most beautiful nest. I was thrilled to see it as I’d never seen one closely before; they are usually deeper into a tangle of brambles, so at the same time I felt concern at the location of this one; it seemed very vulnerable and if I spotted it fairly easily then so could potential predators. Long-tailed tit nests are known to suffer high rates of predation with only 17% of them being successful.

The Long-tailed Tit at the nest

Long-tailed Tits make magical nests from materials you could almost imagine being called for in a spell; spider egg cocoons and moss, lichen and feathers, some 6,000 tiny pieces required for the average construction. The moss and spider silk provide the structural stability, they are pieced together to form a mesh with the tiny leaves of the moss acting as hooks and the spider silk of the egg cocoons providing the loops, which has been described as working in a similar way to velcro. The outside of the nest is covered with hundreds of flakes of pale green-grey lichens to provide camouflage and the inside lined with around 2,000 downy feathers to insulate the nest. The end result is a lightweight elastic sac with a small, round entrance placed at the top, which is suspended either low in a gorse or bramble bush, less than 3m off the ground, or occasionally high up in the forks of tree branches.

Despite its apparent fragility the nest is strong due to the spider silk and the elasticity of the structure allows it to expand as the nestlings grow, so is always the perfect size. This nest was fairly bulging, so I imagine the young ones were quite well grown and that there were several of them in there.

A close view of the exquisite nest and young ones peeking out

I stood rooted to the spot watching as both parent birds hunted for food for their young ones. they were not travelling far, one was mainly foraging in the lower branches of a tree within a few metres of one side of the nest and the other in another tree a similar distance away to the other side. That same one, which is the one I photographed also seemed to be flying up from the fence pursuing flies on the wing.

A Long-tailed Tit with a beak full of small flies waiting a short distance from the nest

I would have loves to have stayed and watched for longer, but although the birds carried on about their work despite me, they were clearly wary and I left them in peace to carry on while I continued with my walk.

Hungry Long-tailed Tit nestlings looking quite well-grown

This link is to a wonderful video of a Long-tailed Tit nest and narrative from Iolo Williams’ Secret Life of Birds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Long-tailed_Tit#p00dxvfq

Spring has finally arrived in Fairy Glen

18 Saturday May 2013

Posted by theresagreen in Local Nature Reserves, Nature of Wales, nature of woodlands, nature photography

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cuckoo pint, dog violet, Fairy Glen, horsetail, ivy-leaved toadflax, marsh marigold, min-y-don, osmia rufa, Pied Wagtail, ramsons, red mason bee, river Colwyn, song thrush, spring flowers

Last Friday was a day typical of our Spring so far this year, overcast, showery and cool, but as I began driving home at lunchtime the sun came out, so I stopped by the little bridge at Min-y-Don woods as I often do, just to have a quick look at whatever is about. Today that was small birds flying back and forth across the river that I thought may have been Chiffchaff, but turned out to be House Sparrows taking drinks and chasing flies over the water. Then near the bend in the river I caught another flash of bird movement that made me think ‘grey wagtail’. Of course I had to follow it, being ever hopeful of a good photo opportunity. I finally caught up with the bird and saw it was actually a Pied Wagtail that was by now intent enough on catching insects not to be too disturbed by my presence.

A Pied Wagtail adeptly catching flies

Maybe he has a nest nearby and was out hunting for food to feed young ones, or maybe because he was alone, perhaps has a mate still sitting on eggs and he was feeding her, or, maybe he was simply feeding himself. Whatever his aims, he was very entertaining to watch and seemed to be catching plenty of insects.

Pied Wagtail – Motecilla yarellii

A couple passing by stopped to see what I was photographing and told me they had seen the grey wagtails further upstream, so I had to carry on walking then, just in case.

On the way up to Fairy Glen my eye was caught by a mass of bright green liverwort at the mouth of a drainpipe, giving the impression it was cascading out like water.

Liverwort at the mouth of a drain pipe

Flowers are generally late this year, but they are making up for lost time now. On the stone walls bounding the river and roadside, the pretty, albeit non-native Ivy-leaved Toadflax flourishes.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax- cymbalaria muralis. A native of Mediterranean Europe, but widely naturalised elsewhere

And here and there the darker purple-blue blooms of the Common Dog Violet peeked out.

Common dog-violet – Viola riviana with its pretty heart-shaped leaves

Garlic mustard is beginning to show its modest white flowers; I love the shape and texture of its leaves too.

Garlic Mustard – Alliaria petiolata

Just inside the woodland of the Glen a few stands of graceful bluebells arch up through the masses of almost-done lesser celandines, surrounded by encroaching wild garlic.

Bluebell – Hyacynthoides non-scripta

Further into the woodland the air was filled with the pungent scent of masses of ramsons, or wild-garlic, just reaching the peak of its flowering. Great swathes of it flow down the sloping riverbank and it carpets much of the ground beneath the trees too, to the apparent delight of a host of nectar-seeking insects.

Ramsons, Wild Garlic – Allium ursinum

Ramsons flowers and buds

I watched big beautiful bumblebees, several different species of hoverfly and some little bees that I didn’t recognise visiting the starry white flowers. Looking afterwards at the photographs and checking several identification books and websites, I have ended up with mason bees. If anyone knows better, please let me know.

One of a number of tiny mason bees feasting on the nectar of the wild garlic flowers

Red Mason Bee – Osmia rufa

One of the little bees (male), pausing briefly to soak up some warmth

Description:

The male bees

are smaller than the females at

just 6 -11 mm long. Both

sexes

are covered in dense gingery hairs, the male with white tufts on the head while the female’s head is black.

Habitat:

Around suitable nesting sites.

The Red Mason Bee is active from early spring, the male being the first to appear when the weather becomes mild in March, the female emerging later. Like all bees it feeds on pollen.

Life History: This is a solitary bee, each nest being the work of a single female working alone. They nest in pre-existing cavities such as hollow plant stems, old garden canes, air bricks, and even old nail holes in fence posts, lining the inside of the cavity with mud.

There were birds singing, I heard chiffchaff, blackbird, robin and wren, but most of those I saw, including blue tits, great tits and a coal tit seemed more intent on hunting for insects, so I imagine there are gaping little beaks to fill.

fern frond unfurling amongst the wild garlic

An hour had passed by without me even noticing and I could have stayed even longer, but there began to be quite a few people about keeping the wildlife more discreet in their activities, so I started to make tracks back; I would have missed the sight of a lovely song thrush if I’d kept going.

Song Thrush with what I think is a worm

Walking back towards Min-y-Don I took a detour up and around one of the other paths and found yet more interesting plants to distract me.

A strange plant with many names-Lords & Ladies, Jack-in-the-Pulpit,Cuckoo Pint or Wild Arum – Arum maculatum

Horsetail- Equisetum

Sunlight catching the almost-orange petals of a Welsh Poppy-Mecanopsis cambrica

Kingcups, or marsh maraigolds reflected in a pool of water

Golden kingcups, or Marsh Marigolds-Calthea palustris reflected in a pool of water

And finally an impressive clump of dock that has found purchase in mud on the shallow edge of the river. I know it’s not a desirable plant, but it looked quite well there with its big shapely leaves.

Dock

a crow strutting along the river-wall, feathers gleaming with shades of purple and green

Two hours after setting off for one photograph I was on the way back home, but couldn’t resist the sight of rabbits amongst the mass of primroses on the embankment, which is where the current page header came from.

bunnies amongst the primroses

Back at home a large white butterfly was nectaring on a dandelion, the first I’ve seen so far this year. Large white that is, not dandelion, whose population seems to have boomed this year. I have never seen so many.

large white taking nectar from a dandelion

The Cockchafer or Maybug

29 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by theresagreen in Beetles, garden wildlife, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography

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cockchafer, large beetle attracted to lights, maybug, melolontha melonontha

One morning last week I carried my early cup of tea outside to enjoy some early morning sunshine and discovered a big fat Maybug on its back on the chair. No amount of struggling was effecting him righting himself, he just lay there frantically waving his legs in the air, poor thing. Of course I helped him after I had taken advantage of his plight to photograph him, allowing him to hook his feet around my finger and placing him on the ground from where he took off rapidly and headed for the sycamore tree.

Maybug on its back showing the very furry body

Maybug, Cockchafer–Melolontha melolontha The Cockchafer is one of the more familiar large beetles as it is often encountered flying noisily about on warm evenings of the early summer, when it may crash into windows, attracted there by lights. It is also known as the May Bug as this is the month in which it most commonly appears. It is common and widespread throughout Britain and Europe except in the far north, occurring in grassy and lightly wooded places.

Cockchafers have a black head and thorax and brown sculptured elytra (wing-cases).

The larvae live on the roots of grasses and other plants in areas kept as permanent pasture and once were so abundant they were regarded as a pest species.

The beetle, particularly the male, has large impressive feathery antennae that open like a fan

Thrift -Armeria maritima

28 Monday May 2012

Posted by theresagreen in Little Orme, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, Rhiwledyn Nature Reserve, Wildflowers of Wales

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armeria maritima, Ceibwr Bay, clifftop flora, Pembrokeshire coastal path, sea pink, thrift, thrift on old three pence coin, wildflowers with pink flowers

Thrift – Armeria maritima, Rhiwledyn Nature Reserve, Little Orme, North Wales

Thrift

Thrift or Sea Pink, Rock Rose, Our Lady’s Pillow – Armeria maritima, begins flowering in April and carries on gloriously well into July. It is a low growing perennial plant that forms dense neat tussocks of linear leaves and produces generous numbers of fragrant button-shaped flowers. The plant has very shallow roots and takes its common name of ‘thrift’ from its ability to make the most of any available nutrients in the thinnest of soils of cliffs and rocks.

Thrift creates wonderful displays on wild, coastal areas throughout the UK – especially south-west Wales and Scotland, but as well as rocky cliffs, Thrift can also be commonly found brightening up saltmarshes and other sandy areas.

11/6/10-A wonderful display of thrift on the cliffs at Ceibwr on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, West Wales

The Welsh name for thrift is clustog Fair, which translates as Mary’s pillow. In Gaelic it is known as tonna chladaich, meaning ‘beach wave’. It is the county flower of Bute, the Isles of Scilly and Pembrokeshire/Sir Benfro.

11/6/10- An old stone wall with a colony of thrift flowers – Pembokeshire Coastal Path

The threepenny coin was embossed with a portrait of Edward VIII and a reverse design of a thrift plant by Frances Madge Kitchener

Thrift was used as an emblem on the threepenny-bit between 1937 and 1953 – no doubt as a clever and light-hearted pun at a time in our British history when saving, making and mending and general ‘thrift’ were a part of everyday life.

Daffodils and leeks

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by theresagreen in Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography

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leek, lent lily, narcissus pseudonarcissus, narcissus pseudonarcissus ob vallaris, St David's Day, Tenby daffodil, Welsh daffodil, Welsh leek

Today is Saint David’s Day (Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi)- the feast day of the patron saint of Wales, which falls on March 1st each year. This date was chosen in remembrance of the death of Saint David as tradition holds that he died on that day in 589. The date was declared a national day of celebration within Wales in the 18th century.

Many Welsh people wear one or both of the national emblems of Wales on their lapel to celebrate St. David: the daffodil, a generic Welsh symbol which is in season during March or the leek, Saint David’s personal symbol on this day. The association between leeks and daffodils is strengthened by the fact that they have similar names in Welsh, Cenhinen (leek) and Cenhinen Pedr (daffodil, literally “Peter’s leek”).

There are several slightly varying versions of exactly how the leek came to be recognised as the emblem of Wales, but the general theme is that it was worn on the caps of Welshmen in battle to distinguish them from their foes. Nowadays the leek, in various forms, is often sported by welsh rugby supporters and is featured on the reverse of the pound coin issued between 1985-1990.

1985
1990

Leek and royal diadem representing Wales.Edge Inscription:
PLEIDIOL WYF I’M GWLAD

Designed by:
Leslie Durbin

(The edge inscription roughly translates as ‘I am true to my roots’).

Welsh and Tenby daffodils

The adoption of the daffodil as a national emblem is more recent and may be that during the Victorian era, a common vegetable such as the leek wasn’t considered glamorous enough to be the Welsh national emblem and the daffodil, whose flowering coincides with the Welsh patron saint’s holiday, seemed like a fitting replacement.

There are two varieties of daffodil unique to Wales – the Tenby and the Welsh or Lent daffodil. Both species have suffered decline over the years as a result of property development on land where they once thrived.

Tenby daffodil-Narcissus pseudonarcissus obvallaris

Tenby daffodils suffered in Victorian times from being too popular as they were regularly dug up and became quite scarce but replanting has helped and nowadays you’ll see plenty in the spring time around Tenby, South Pembrokeshire, and also in Carmarthenshire and parts of Ceredigion. One of the biggest displays of Welsh daffodils can be seen at Coed y Bwl Wood, at Castle Upon Alun, St.Brides Major in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. The Welsh variety is more widespread, but still scarce.

This little daffodil only grows about 8″ or 30cm high and can be found growing wild around Tenby in Wales, hence the name. It seems no-one is quite sure if the Tenby daffodil was introduced to this country, or whether it could be a natural variation of our only truly native daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, also known as the Lent Lily as it usually flowers during the period of Lent, through February and March.

Lent lily – Narcissus pseudonarcissus

The Lent Lily is a similar tiny size and shape, but the outer petals are paler than the yellow trumpet, or corona, whereas the Tenby Daffodil has both a yellow trumpet and outer petals. Both have sword-like grey-green leaves and the plants are perennials. The species is native to Western Europe from Spain and Portugal east to Germany and north to England and Wales. It is commonly grown in gardens and populations have become established in many other parts of Europe. Wild plants grow in woods, grassland and on rocky ground. In Britain native populations have decreased substantially since the 19th century due to intensification of agriculture, clearance of woodland and uprooting of the bulbs for use in gardens.

Hungry Herring Gulls

21 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by theresagreen in birds of the seashore, Birdwatching on North Wales coast, Nature, Nature of Wales, Rhos-on-Sea

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colwyn bay beach, herring gull, herring gull feeding behaviour, herring gull juveniles begging for food, larus argentus

Walking along the sea shore the other day I came across a Herring Gull in the process of eating a fish. I have no idea what species of fish it was, all I can say is that it was a flat fish and either whole or almost-whole, either way, large enough for me to be amazed that a bird could even attempt swallow it.

17/9/11-The gull with most of the fish in its gullet

17/9/11- It was not going down easily, so it had to come back up again

17/9/11-A second attempt -and this time the fish disappeared

17/9/11- All that remained was a lump in the gull's crop - it should keep him going till at least lunchtime

Herring Gulls are omnivores and opportunists like most Larus gulls, and will scavenge from rubbish dumps, landfill sites, and sewage outflows; food obtained this way may comprise up to half of the bird’s diet. Despite their name, they have no special preference for herrings — in fact, examinations have shown that echinoderms and crustaceans comprised a greater portion of these gulls’ stomach contents than fish.

On Colwyn Bay seashore I witnessed more gull feeding behaviour, this time two juveniles were begging an adult, presumably a parent, to feed them.

Young Herring gulls persuading a parent to feed them

Juveniles use their beaks to “knock” on the red spot on the beaks of adults to indicate hunger. Parents typically disgorge food for their offspring when they are “knocked”.

Parent gulls will feed their offspring for up to 6months if they continue to beg

Chicks are generally fed by their parents until they are 11–12 weeks old but the feeding may continue up to six months of age, if the young gull continues to beg. The male feeds the chick more often than the female before fledging, the female more often post-fledging.

The adult was persuaded to disgorge what it had eaten onto the sand

The young birds begging did the trick and the adult disgorged whatever it had eaten onto the beach, which did not look at all appetising from where I was standing, but the three birds seemed to be happy with it.

Seaside life, cloudy skies and other views

03 Saturday Sep 2011

Posted by theresagreen in Nature of Wales, Rhos-on-Sea

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catching crabs, cloudy skies, daisies growing on the beach, herring gull, Little Orme, mussel beds of Rhos-on-sea, red-tailed bumblebee

The weather throughout August has been unsettled and changeable. Rainy and sometimes windy days have curtailed outdoor activities, but when there have been dry spells and even occasional warm sunny ones, beautiful cloud formations have added an extra dimension to the views of sea and land.

A breezy but sunny afternoon:

9/8/11-Clouds over Rhyl

Catching crabs,( or ‘crabbing), is a popular form of entertainment in this part of the world. The only equipment required are a length of line with a hook to hold the bait, which is often a small piece of bacon and a bucket full of water to hold your catch – specially marked buckets are sold locally. When you’ve caught enough crabs to make you happy, you simply return them all to their rightful home unharmed, where they can continue to grow. I’m sure there are many canny crabs lining up for an easy meal.

9/8/11-Crabbing from the jetty, Rhos-on-Sea

9/8/11-On the village part of the promenade a clever woven wicker sculpture, crafted from live willow, of a person holding a fish

A warm evening just before sunset:

4/8/11-Rhos harbour at evening low tide

4/8/11-Evening view of seashore to Colwyn pier

4/8/11-White daisies growing at the back of the beach photograph better in the low light of evening

4/8/11-Gulls gathered and resting at evening low tide

4/8/11-A Herring Gull reflected

4/8/11-Rhos mussel beds just before sunset

4/8/11-A bumblebee was out late visiting lavatera flowers outside St Trillo's chapel

4/8/11-The Little Orme at sunset

Red-berry trail

31 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by theresagreen in Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, Nature of Wales, nature of woodlands

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cotoneaster in the wild, cuckoo pint, haws, hawthorn, hawthorn berries, poisonous berries, red berries, wild arum

11th August

I resumed my woodland walk, passing by a Hawthorn tree laden with red berries.

11/8/11-Common Hawthorn -Crataegus monogyna, fully laden with a crop of berries

Crataegus commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. They are shrubs or small trees, mostly growing to 5–15 m tall, with small pome fruit and (usually) thorny branches. The thorns are small sharp-tipped branches that arise either from other branches or from the trunk, and are typically 1–3 cm long. The fruit, sometimes known as a “haw”, is berry-like, but structurally a pome containing from 1 to 5 pyrenes that resemble the “stones” of plums, peaches, etc.

11/8/11-Hawthorn berries, or haws

Hawthorns provide food and shelter for many species of birds and mammals, and the flowers are important for many nectar-feeding insects. Hawthorns are also used as food plants by the larvae of a large number of Lepidoptera species and haws are important for wildlife in winter, particularly thrushes and waxwings.

I have noted several cotoneaster shrubs growing throughout this site, which I have assumed to have arrived there via bird droppings as the shrub is not generally a native of Britain, but is widely planted in gardens.

11/8/11-Berries of Cotoneaster horizontalis

* * There is an indiginous native cotoneaster that is found growing only on the Great Orme: Cotoneaster cambricus (Wild Cotoneaster; Welsh: Creigafal y Gogarth “rock apple of Gogath”) is a species of Cotoneaster endemic to the Great Orme peninsula in north Wales. It is the only species of Cotoneaster native to the British Isles. It has never been found naturally at any other location.

______________________________________________________

I very recently came upon the following on the ‘Plantlife’ website on the very subject of ‘escapee cotoneasters’:

Cotoneaster species

Non-native invasive plants.

Cotoneasters provide an important reminder that even with the best intentions of gardeners, the wind, birds and other animals can help plants to ‘escape over the garden wall’.

Plantlife is particularly concerned about four types of cotoneaster:

Hollyberry cotoneaster (C. bullatus)
Wall cotoneaster (C. horizontalis)
Small-leaved cotoneasters (C. microphyllus agg.)
Himalayan cotoneaster (C. simonsii).

What’s the problem?

These popular garden and landscaping shrubs are also popular with birds who enjoy the berries and spread the seed. This can spread cotoneasters in the wild, where they can be difficult to eradicate.

What are we doing about it?

Find out more about Plantlife’s invasive plant programme by clicking here

_____________________________________________________

Another probable garden escape is Hypericum – St. John’s Wort, also growing in various spots throughout the site and also now bearing red berries.

11/8/11-berries of St John's Wort-Hypericum

A native plant, the Arum lily or as I know it, Cuckoo Pint or Lords and Ladies, is also bearing bright scarlet berries now. I found them in a few places, mostly tucked almost out of sight beneath other shrubbery.

11/8/11-The poisonous berries of the Wild arum

Arum maculatum is a common woodland plant species of the Araceae family. It is widespread across temperate northern Europe and is known by an abundance of common names including Wild arum, Lords and Ladies, Devils and Angels,Cows and Bulls, Cuckoo-Pint, Adam and Eve, Bobbins, Naked Boys, Starch-Root and Wake Robin.

Conwy castle, harbour and gulls

27 Saturday Aug 2011

Posted by theresagreen in Nature of Wales, North Wales

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Black-headed Gull, Black-headed Gull in winter plumage, Conwy castle, Conwy estuary, herring gull, herring gull juvenile, smallest house in Great Britain, Welsh Castles

I love the town of Conwy and have been intending to visit since I arrived here, partly to have a walk around the castle and is walls, but mainly to check up on how the Herring Gulls are behaving down in the harbour. Conwy has a large population of Herring Gulls and they can be seen and heard throughout the town at all times of the day and often much of the night too!

I arrived quite late on a variably grey, showery and sunny day, a good day for taking photographs as I think clouds add an interesting dimension and reflect the true character of Welsh summer weather. I walked around the castle and along a short section of the wall, then to the bridge and from there down to the harbour. I took just a few photographs of the castle and am adding a very brief account of it; there are plenty of really good sites on the internet for anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating place. (This is a very detailed one http://www.castlewales.com)

Conwy is regarded as one Europe’s finest surviving medieval towns, a status that is attributed to the preservation of both its castle and the intact town walls. It is also beautifully situated on the Conwy estuary.

The history of the castle is very well documented, but words on a page and the best photographs cannot properly do justice to its grandeur and presence. The guidebook published by CADW, the Welsh Historic Trust, simply states: “Conwy is by any standards one of the great fortresses of medieval Europe.”

: 6/8/11- Two of the eight castle towers, as seen from the harbour

Conwy along with Harlech is probably the most impressive of all the Welsh castles. Both were designed by Edward I’s master castle builder James of St. George, and while Harlech has a more storied past, Conwy’s eight massive towers and high curtain wall are more impressive than those at Harlech.

: 6/8/11-Conway castle walls-view through a firing position opening

The walls of Conwy are judged the finest in Britain. They are completely intact and still give the impression of enclosing and protecting the town. It is possible to walk around the town along the wall. The circuit of the wall is 3/4 of a mile in length, with 21 towers at regular intervals of about 46m. The wall is 1.68m thick and 9m high, with towers rising to 15m.

: 6/8/11-Conwy estuary at high tide, viewed from the bridge

: 6/8/11-The harbour viewed from the bridge

: 6/8/11-Conwy castle, bridge and harbour under grey rainclouds

: 6/8/11-Sculpture ‘Mytilus edulis’ by Graeme Mitcheson; carved in Kilkenny limestone

Conwy is famous for its Mussels and there is a ‘factory’ here in the harbour, not a very attractive one I might add, where the shellfish are processed. I love the sculpture, it looks beautiful and is very tactile.

: 6/8/11- A Herring Gull keeps lookout over the harbour

There were very few Herring Gulls around and about in the harbour area this afternoon and those there were on the whole very quiet and well-behaved. There were a few brief outbursts amongst them, all of them involving adult birds chasing away young ones.

: An adult Herring Gull calming down after a chase

: 6/8/11- A young Herring Gull watching me over it shoulder

There were quite a number of Black-headed Gulls here, initially all swimming about on the water close to the harbour wall, but then one by one becoming restless and taking off and flying around the moored boats before returning.

: 6/8/11-Black-headed Gull with traces of dark head plumage remaining

They are attractive little gulls and look almost dainty compared to the big Herring Gulls. Most of them here have taken on or are in the process of losing the dark heads of their summer/breeding plumage and have just the dark spots either side of the head. Their red legs are clearly visible as they paddled around in the water of the harbour.

: 6/8/11-An individual with traces of dark head still visible

: 6/8/11-Black-headed Gull with completely white head and dark spots of non-breeding plumage

I could not resist one last photograph of the Smallest House in Great Britain, another of Conwy’s claims to fame. It’s usually almost impossible to see as when it is open it has people around it, as well as a lady dressed in traditional Welsh costume standing outside.

: 6/8/11- Another Conwy claim to fame; the Smallest House in Great Britain

Come rain, come shine

27 Saturday Aug 2011

Posted by theresagreen in frogs & toads, garden wildlife, Nature, Nature of Wales, Rhos-on-Sea

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common frog, house sparrow, limacus flavus, rana temporaria, wood pigeon, yellow slug

Days of unsettled weather have limited my outdoor activities, but during dry spells and the occasional half-hours of sunshine, the local wildlife has been quick to take advantage of opportunities to venture out of hiding.

: Some people have lions or pineapples decorating their gateposts ;we have woodpigeons

: When not on sentry duty, the wood pigeons scour the lawn for freshly sprouted dandelion leaves

I tidied up the hedge recently, but was careful to leave the crop of berries along the top untouched. Now, although they still don’t appear to me to be ripe, the House Sparrows arrive several times a day to check for any that are edible.

: The House Sparrows come several times a day to check for any berries that may be ripe enough to eat

The House Sparrows are still together in quite a sizable flock and although the young birds seem to stick together as one group and the adults appear in smaller groups, they are all within reach of one another.

Other garden birds have reappeared following their ‘summer breaks’ too. During a sunny spell of a recent early morning I was watching a young Crow pecking at fruit on the neighbouring apple tree; it was joined by three young Blue Tits that arrived to forage around the branches and they were followed by two adults and then a family of Great Tits. A Coal Tit was exploring the woodwork of the garden shed, no doubt looking for spiders or other sheltering insects. A Wren arrived and sang briefly from the garden fence, Dunnocks foraged along the bottom of the hedge and both a male and a female Blackbird put in an appearance.

Insects need warm sunshine to get them going:

: A Small White butterfly basking on a privet leaf

: A basking Speckled Wood from the front, ready for lift-off

: 5/8/11-A Marmalade hoverfly warming up in a spot of sunshine

Then there are those creatures that prefer the cooler, damper weather:

: A Garden Snail enjoying a cool damp spell

: I discovered this unusual Yellow Slug-limacus flavus whilst gardening.

Limacus flavus, sometimes called the Yellow slug, is a medium to large species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Limacidae.The yellow slug is common in England, Wales and Ireland as well as most of southern and western Europe. Feeding mostly on fungi, decaying matter or vegetables, this species is strongly associated with human habitation, and is usually found in damp areas such as cellars, kitchens, and gardens. Generally speaking it is only seen at night, because it is nocturnal. Thus it often goes unnoticed and people are unaware of how (relatively) common the species is.

: I know it’s a slug, but it is quite an attractive one

I filled four recycling bags with hedge-cuttings and other garden debris and when I began to move them to put them out for collection a few days later, I was removing the hiding place of a rather lovely frog.

: Common Frog-Rana temporaria

Common Frog – Rana temporaria

Identification:

Tailless amphibian – Smooth skin
Tends to jump not walk
Horizontal ovoid pupil
Dorsal surface and flanks are very variable in colour, typically yellowish brown, but may be olive-green coloured and some individuals have a reddish or yellow appearance. Variably spotted or striped.
Ventral surface (underside) of males may be dirty white or pale yellow, speckled with grey or brown; females pale yellow to orange
The most consistent markings are the dark patch behind the eye and the strong barring on the hind limbs.
Length: 6 – 9 cm